Honesty
by Kiyoshi'sGirl64
Summary: What happens when Botan catches them together? Will it strengthen their love or tear them apart? HieixKurama.
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

I feel his skin burning against mine. It's not often we get a moment alone like this. If only we could have this more often. But only very rarely can I be sure of Shiori's absence for extended periods of time. And doing this at the temple is out of the question.

It's so hot. I pull my shirt of, and he does the same. I'm not sure how, but our embrace never breaks, and our lips hardly part. I hear him moan. I kiss him harder.

Suddenly the door swings open, and I hear a gasp. I turn around as fast as I can, only to see Hiei already at the door. He has hold of Botan's wrist. Her face is redder than I have ever seen anyone's face go. There is also a glimmer of pain due to Hiei's grip, but her embarrassment far surpasses her pain. And it should.

"You tell anyone," Hiei hisses at her, "And I will murder them, I will make you watch, and then I will murder you."

"I'm sorry," Botan whimpers. "I thought Kurama was alone."

"Which gives you the right to barge in here without knocking?" I ask sharply. Honestly, I'm irritated. Only once in a long while do Hiei and I get such time alone together. He doesn't want anyone to know about us. I only care becaues it might embarrass Shiori. But her barging in like that has ticked Hiei off. Which quite effectively ruins the mood.

After a long pause, when she doesn't say anything and she doesn't leave, Hiei asks, "What was so important?"

"Yusuke is have a get-together at the temple tomorrow. He wanted you guys to come. I didn't know I was going to find Hiei here though." Her voice is still weak.

"Thanks for the invite. We'll think about it," I say. Her eyes widen, and her face turns pink again when I speak for both of us. Hiei finally drops her arm, and she rubs her wrist. "Now, Botan, do me a favor and leave. And if you tell anyone, Hiei will have help," I threaten.

She gulps, nods and rushes out of the room.

I sit down on the bed. Glancing up at Hiei, I ask, "I don't suppose we could pick this up where we left off?" He looks at me once, and I sigh. "I thought not."

I lean over, pick our shirts up off the floor and toss him his. As I pull mine on, he asks, "Are we going tomorrow?"

"We have to, don't we?" I ask. "If we want to be sure she doesn't say anything."

"Damn. Could this get any worse?" he mutters.

I look at him. "We could be alone, Hiei."

* * *

**Well, there you have it. The prologue. My only disclaimer is going to go right here:  
I do not own any of the characters. If I add a character I do own (unlikely) I will notify you.  
There. Disclaimer done. You won't see another one.  
One other thing. This story is going to be taking the back seat to the other two fics I am  
currently writing, so the updates won't be super-frequent (I will finish the story, I promise).**

**This story was never going to be written. It was more... I don't know. I wrote my oneshot Dirty Little Secret and I realized  
how much fun it is to write HieixKurama stories. I also kind of wondered what would happen  
if someone caught them together. Sooooo... there you go. That is where  
the story True Love came from.**

**ForbiddenChildLover64  
signing off.**


	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

Hiei and I walk into the temple. Botan sees us, squeaks once and flees the room. But not before her face has turned bright red.

"Hey," Yusuke says to us. "What was that about? She saw you guys and couldn't get out of the room fast enough."

I just shrug. Hiei doesn't say anything. But his cold behavior in this situation is an advantage. No one really expects him to answer. I'm the only one who knows he is actually capable of showing emotion. I on the other hand…they expect me to answer.

We sit down, and Yusuke asks, "What've you two been up to lately? How's Shiori, Kurama?"

"Shiori's fine. Very happy."

"That's good."

Kuwabara walks in, eating chips from a bag. "Hey, Kurama, Hiei."

Yusuke suddenly tackles him. After a short fight, possession of the potato chips has shifted to Yusuke. Botan returns along with Keiko, Yukina and Shizuru. This time she blushes very slightly, but she manages to keep her expression under control. Both Hiei and I ignore her.

Yusuke doesn't. "Why'd you run out like that, Botan?"

"Er…ummm…no reason!" she stutters.

"I don't believe you," Yusuke says suspiciously.

"It's nothing," Botan insists, blushing furiously once again.

"Whatever, Botan," Kuwabara says. "There's no way we're going to believe you when you're that color."

"If you're not going to tell us, we'll just have to trick it out of you later," Yusuke threatens with a devious smile.

Botan makes a strange noise, indicating something between surprise and terror. "Please don't," she begs.

"Too late," Yusuke says grinning. "I saw your face already. And I already have an idea of what you're hiding." Her eyes widen. Yusuke goes on, "I'm just not sure which one of them it is." He jerks his head in our direction.

"Yusuke, what are you going on about?" Keiko asks.

Yusuke grins mischievously. "Kurama and Hiei walked in, Botan turned the color of Kurama's hair and rushed out." No one else notices the relief on Botan's face when Yusuke continues, "I think we all know what that means. Just not who. My money's on Kurama."

They all look at me and Hiei. They start nodding, and at least two of them say, "Kurama." What's that supposed to mean? Just because I'm more likely to show emotions doesn't mean Hiei isn't capable of feeling them. It doesn't mean he's not capable of showing them. I've experienced how forceful his emotions can be firsthand. But me and Botan? I have never…never ever…just…no. There is no one but Hiei. There will never be anyone but Hiei.

Atsuko appears in the doorway, beer in hand. "What're y'all waiting for? The pizza's getting cold."

It takes about three seconds for the room to clear out. "Botan," I call out. She stops and looks at me. Quietly, so they can't hear me in the next room, I say, "That was close. Too close."

She nods nervously, and we follow her toward the food.

Three hours later…

"Hey, Yusuke!" Kuwabara calls. "Truth or dare?" Oh god no. This has happened before. And no matter how we fight it, not even Hiei and I are exempt from this juvenile game.

"Dare," Yusuke responds without hesitation.

"Kiss Keiko." Oh yes. There's that too. Someone gets a dare, and the rest of us aren't safe from dares such as that one.

Keiko knows it, too. She turns bright red and looks away. Yusuke blushes as well. But he leans over and kisses her on the lips, quickly. There is one thing to be said for our version of this game: when there is a loophole, they don't take it. They take the dare as it was intended not as it was worded.

"Well…" Yusuke says, turning to Botan. Crap. I know what is coming. And Botan hates dares. "Botan?"

She looks frantically around the room, as if searching for an exit before whispering, "Truth."

"You know the question," Yusuke says. "Spill."

Her eyes flicker towards me and Hiei. The she whispers, "I can't tell you." That is not going to go over well.

"You chose truth," Yusuke objects. "You have to tell."

"What if it's not my secret to tell?"

"What?" Yusuke's face is confused; if it were a relationship between Botan and I, it would be her secret. But she's just become an observer. "Then what did you see?"

Botan's eyes are panicked. But these idiots take this game seriously. If she doesn't tell the truth, they will force it out of her. Finally she says, so quietly I can hardly hear her, "I walked in on Kurama with someone else."

I have to give it to her. That was a nice dodge. They already suspect it was me over Hiei, and she has avoided implicating Hiei in any way. The only issue is that now it'll pass the focus to me.

After a few more turns, the game lands on Yusuke again. Quite predictably, he turns to me. "Kurama?"

Might as well get this over with. I sigh. "Truth."

"Who was she?"

She. There must be something I can do with that assumption. Too bad I'm having trouble focusing on anything other than how Hiei's foot has slid a small distance across the floor and is now touching my leg. "Kurama?" Keiko asks.

"Ummm…it doesn't matter. You guys don't know her. And it's hardly more than an on-again-off-again relationship. Possibly off forever after Botan walked in on us."

Her eyes flicker over my face, analyzing my answer. Other than one word—her—it's completely true. Strictly speaking, they don't know the person I was kissing. The Hiei that exists when we're alone is completely different from the Hiei everyone else knows. And at the last sentence she looks concerned and almost…guilty. Odd.

I ignore her and say, "Yukina, truth or dare?" Hiei adjusts his foot slightly, dragging it up my calf about two inches. It is so hard to ignore, but it's comforting at the same time.

* * *

**Well, there you have it. Chapter numero uno. Sorry about the Truth or Dare bit. (This story is actually supposed to be semi-serious.)  
I simply needed a tool to move the story along. And honestly...Truth or Dare isn't exactly out of the question with the YYH gang.**

**Now...another random note: when I post the next chapter, it will be under the title of 'Honesty' because that actually fits the story  
better. I just thought I should give y'all a heads-up in case anyone has this story on story alert, I don't want them to get all  
confused.**

**Finally, here's how I answer my reviews: I answer them in the author's notes at the very end. If you want a private reply, PM with the heading  
of what story you're reviewing. That's just how I work. If you don't care if the response is public, review in the normal fashion.**

**Jennifer100: Glad you enjoyed the prologue, here's your update (and since you're the only reviewer, it's dedicated to you).**


	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

After a while, it's Atsuko's turn. And she's a little drunk by this point, which is never a good idea. "Kuwabara," she asks.

"Dare," he announces proudly.

She thinks for a moment, then says, "Oh, I know! I dare you to kiss Yusuke. Lips, no cheek."

"Ma!" Yusuke protests as Keiko laughs at him. But it's too late. Trust Atsuko to bring this situation up. Hiei and I watch calmly as Kuwabara reluctantly leans forward, bumping his lips to Yusuke's for as short a time as he can. The others crack up.

What follows next is a fairly predictable argument and stupid girl-girl dares. Why do they treat such things like a joke? Is it simply because they don't realize…? Botan is pink the entire time, and her eyes keep straying to me and Hiei before flashing away. I zone out. Yesterday was a disaster. At least once Botan came in. Before that thought…that short span of time was fantastic. As usual.

"Are you _enjoying_ this, Kurama?" Yusuke asks.

"Hm?" I ask vaguely. I guess I was smiling. I have a tendency to do that when I think about the time Hiei and I spend alone together. And I guess Yusuke is interpreting my smile as liking what I'm watching.

Yusuke glares at me. He evidently does not find same-sex kiss dares entertaining. To tell the truth, I don't either. It makes a joke of what is a very serious matter for some people. I don't like to think what they would do if they found out about me and Hiei. "Let's see how you like it," Yusuke says. "Hiei, truth or dare." He knows I would choose truth. But Hiei would rather be dared to kill himself than answer a truth.

Hiei opens his eyes and glares. "Dare."

"Kiss Kurama," Yusuke commands, "on the lips, and make it look real."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Botan's face deepen in color as her eyes widen. Hiei glares, but he doesn't say anything. He sits up straight, grabs my shoulders and kisses me.

How I want to kiss him back! But that would give everything away. The only thing that keeps me from doing so is that this kiss feels mechanical; it possesses none of the passion the real ones do.

It doesn't last long. At least not compared to the kisses we share when we're alone. But I guess it's good enough because there is a dead silence. I suppose they thought Hiei would kill himself before he would kiss me. Hiei doesn't say another word. He simply stands and walks out. I am the only one who does not stare after him.

"Well," Shizuru finally says, standing up. "That effectively ends this game. It was his turn to pick someone. And since the fun of this game lies in the shock of what people are willing to say or do…yeah, I don't think what just happened can be beat."

I wouldn't bet on that…I guarantee they'd be more shocked if I hadn't been able to control my impulse to kiss him back. Or if they simply asked me to tell them the name of my…significant other. When no one else moves, I stand. "I need to go. I didn't tell Shiori I was coming up here. She'll be worried."

"Just one question, Kurama," Yusuke calls. "Why did neither of you object? Everyone else objected. We all kissed—or got kissed—in the end, but still…"

Damn. I knew there was something we were forgetting. We were too complacent. "Why complain when the end result will be the same?" I ask as calmly as I can.

Yusuke stares at me a moment. "Fair point."

"Bye everybody," I call as I walk out the door.

Hiei is waiting for me, leaning up against the wall. He stands and looks into my eyes. In his eyes there is an apology he will never say out loud. "It's fine," I say, accepting his unspoken apology. "Just don't ever kiss me not for me again."

He nods, and the corners of his lips twitch upward once. "How can I make it up to you?" Hearing these words, I'm reminded of what I said earlier. None of them know this Hiei, who cares deeply about me. A couple of times, I've wondered if he's just doing it for the sex because he's never told me he loves me. But I believe he does. If he doesn't love me, he's doing a damn good job of acting like he does.

But I'm really past the point where I care. I love him. In my heart, I believe he loves me. Nothing else matters. I move toward him. "I think we both know how you can make it up to me."

He tilts his head up to look at me. "Where?"

"Not my house. Shiori's home. We could stay here, find an empty room away from the center of the temple." The only reason I suggest that is because I don't know how long I can wait. It was several weeks since we'd been alone like that, and then Botan interrupted us.

But he shakes his head. "Too risky." He smiles at me deviously. "I know a place."

I nod and follow him.

_An hour later…_

He leads me to an abandoned building. Several parts of it look as though it's about to collapse. Not exactly conducive to this sort of thing.

But neither of us cares. The likelihood that anyone will walk in on us is next to zero; the probability that anyone we know will stumble upon this place while we're here is even less.

He is holding me before we even have the door completely shut. Oh, this feels so good. I start kissing his face, his lips, his neck, his ears. He is doing the same to me. Our shirts hit the floor and soon after our bodies start to stick together from sweat. Anything to keep him this close. Anything at all.

It isn't long before we join our clothing on the dirt floor of the dilapidated building.

_Thirty minutes later…_

"Hiei?"

"Yes?"

"Do you love me?"

"What?"

"Do you love me?"

"What would make you ask a stupid thing like that?"

"You've never said it. I've told you, but you've never told me."

"I saw no reason to state the obvious."

Thirty minutes later…

We lay on our backs, shoulder to shoulder on the dirt floor.

"Kurama?" he asks.

"Hmmm?" I reply. I'm trying to think of words to describe how…wonderful all this has been. So amazing. But I'm having trouble finding words that convey such powerful emotions.

"I love you." I look over at him. His eyes are more open and trusting than I have ever seen them.

I turn onto my side and start kissing him again. He immediately starts kissing back. After a few minutes I pull away slightly. "I have a job, Hiei. I could rent us a small apartment. No one would need to know, not even Shiori. We could do this whenever we wanted. We'd never need to worry about getting caught."

"Damn it, Kurama," he murmurs, still kissing me. "Why didn't you think of that sooner?"

* * *

**Well there you have it.**  
**No ownership.**  
**On to reviews.**

**sutio: glad your enjoying it. hope you liked this chapter as well.**

**ardentes: here's the update! hope it was as satisfactory as the others.**

**jennifer100: hope this chapter was up to the standards set by others.**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Signing off,  
ForbiddenChildLover64**


	4. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

We stand and brush the dirt off as best we can. As we put our clothes on, he asks, "When?"

"As soon as I find a cheap apartment."

We walk out of the building. Night is falling. We run. It takes a little more than an hour to get back to my house. When we arrive, he stops at the end of the drive, gives me a small smile and disappears into the night.

I walk into the house. "Mom," I call out. "I'm home."

"Oh, good," I hear her say. "I was starting to worry. Dinner's almost ready."

"Okay," I call. "I might be a few minutes late. I really need a shower." True. Even after brushing myself off, there is no way I could explain away all this dirt. And when you get sweaty things like dust and dirt have a tendency to stick.

Standing under the water, I find that no matter how hot I make the shower go, it can't erase the memory of Hiei's touch. His touch still burns on my skin. Perhaps that is simply his temperature is higher to the fire in his veins. More likely, though, it's due to how I feel about him.

How he feels about me.

I no longer have any doubts. You can't fake what was in his eyes. I've tried. It simply cannot be done.

_The next day…_

That was surprisingly easy. I am now holding the keys to a relatively cheap apartment. And when you take into account that I will only very rarely be using water and electricity, the projected cost goes down. I go in and look around at it again. It's small but clean. White carpet, cream walls. Only one thing is missing. A bed. I smile. All we need is a bed.

I take Shiori's car and quickly find Hiei. He sees me, and his lips twitch in a barely contained smile. "Already?" he asks.

"All we need is a bed," I say. "I thought you might like to come pick one out with me."

His lips curve upward deviously. "I couldn't care less what kind of bed you get. Hell, I don't care if we even _have_ a bed. But since you're going to get one anyway, I want you to know that the only thing that matters is that you let me help you break it in."

"That," I say, leaning toward him, "goes unsaid." I give him a quick kiss before I ask, "Are you coming or not? The sooner we choose a bed, the sooner we can try it out."

In the end, we choose one of the cheapest beds they have. Testing out different beds with another guy in a heterosexual world draws a lot of stares. And there is no point wasting money on a super comfortable bed when we're not going to be sleeping on it much. Comfort only becomes really important if you have nothing else to be distracted by. Which most certainly is not the case.

Unfortunately, Shiori's car doesn't have enough room for us to transport it ourselves. Damn. We have to wait for tomorrow, when they will deliver it for us. Ah well. We can wait one day. Maybe.

As we wander aimlessly around the mall for want of anything better to do, we run into Keiko, Botan and Yukina. Why do I get the feeling that Botan is never going to be a normal color around us again?

"Hey Kurama, hey Hiei," Keiko says. "What's up?"

"Just waiting for Shiori," I shrug.

"Perfect. Yukina, go try that dress on again. See what Kurama thinks. We'll wait here." She pushes the two of us through the door of the store they evidently just left.

Yukina tries on the dress. "You look beautiful, Yukina."

"Really?" she asks shyly. "I don't know…"

It takes a few minutes, but she eventually decides to get the dress.

We walk back out to the rest of the group. They are standing together, but no one is speaking. And Botan's face has not lost its pink tinge.

Keiko sees Yukina's shopping bag and exclaims, "You got it! Good. Well you guys, we should probably be going." As she walks past me, she hisses, "My parents' diner. Tonight at seven. You don't show up, and I will come to Shiori's."

"What was that about?" I ask Hiei as they walk away.

"No clue."

_That evening…_

"Keiko?" I ask. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes." She grabs my wrist and drags me into the storeroom, closing the door behind us. She stares at me for a long time. Finally she says, "Who is it, Kurama?"

This again. Why did I have to come? "Who is who?"

"The person Botan caught you with. Who is it?" Should I be worried that Keiko is saying _it_ rather than _she_?

"It's just…it's no one."

"What's going on between you and Hiei?" I look at her, startled. That question is way to pointed to be a coincidence.

"Nothing," I say, working to meet her eyes. Not nothing. About as far from nothing as you can get. Everything.

"Oh, bull," she says. "Just because the rest of them are blind doesn't mean I don't notice things."

"What do you mean?" I ask guardedly.

"Quit acting dumb, Kurama. Botan was perfectly okay with the kissing dares until the dares were between two guys or two girls. And she's always been okay with that before. She looked like she was going to choke when Yusuke dared Hiei to kiss you. And before that, every time she looked at you, her eyes automatically flickered to Hiei."

"So?" I ask. It's unnerving how much she notices and the accuracy of the conclusions she's drawn.

"Wait," she says. "I'm not finished. I don't think you realized it, but you kept glancing at Hiei. Over and over again." I did? Crap. She goes on, "And it wasn't just you that was making Botan blush. The entire time you were in that store with Yukina, she was pink. It's Hiei too. And she said she caught you with someone."

"So?" I do not like where this is going.

"She said _someone_, Kurama. Very ambiguous word. It was Yusuke who assumed it was a girl."

"Okay, I'm done here." I turn to leave, and she shakes her head.

"I'm sorry, Kurama. You're right. You're love life isn't my business. It's just…for a long time, Yusuke never told me what was going on. I like understanding, Kurama. And you know I won't tell anyone."

"There is nothing to tell." My voice is hard.

Her eyes are sad. "I don't want to see either of you get hurt, Kurama."

"What?" I ask sharply.

"Kurama," she snaps. "I just told you: I'm not stupid, and I'm not blind." She takes a deep breath. "I know there's something going on between the two of you. Something more than just coworkers or even friends. I care about you, Kurama. I care about Hiei, too, even though he hates all of us. I don't want to see you guys get hurt."

She knows. And she is less likely to tell anyone if she hears it from one of us. And Hiei certainly won't be telling her. I sigh. "Swear you won't tell anyone?"

She breathes a sigh of something very similar to relief. "Of course, Kurama."

* * *

**Yeah, sorry this chapter doesn't have any Kurama-Hiei moments... This is the chapter in which the story started being much more serious. I don't know, I kind of just let the story go where it will, since if I try to control it, it generally turns out like crap. And this was evidently the direction the story wanted to take.**

**Moving on...I own no one, I will never own anyone.**

**Finally, reviews!**

**Alexisminamino: Yes, of course it had to be Botan. Initially it was going to be Yusuke, but then I realized that he would be too horrified to say anything, and Kuwabara would be too horrified not to say anything. And everyone knows Botan's not exactly good at keeping secrets, no matter how hard she tries. :)**

**jennifer100: glad you enjoyed it. again, sorry this one doesn't have any Hiei-Kurama jazz. I'll try to get back to all that ASAP.**

**ardentes: glad you enjoyed it despite its length!**

**Bye, y'all!  
ForbiddenChildLover64**


	5. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

"There is something more between us," I start. How do girls talk about stuff like this? I don't have a problem telling Keiko; I trust her. But what words are there? What adjectives could possibly convey how I feel or why I feel that way?

"How much more, Kurama?" she asks.

I avert my eyes. "All of it."

"All of it?" she asks.

"Yes. All of it. The beginning, the end and everything in between the two. All of it. Everything."

"_Everything_?" she asks in shock.

"That's what I said," I snap.

She puts up her hands as a gesture of peace. "Sorry," she says. "Sorry. I thought it was simply one kiss, maybe multiple kisses over the course of several days. I thought it was nothing more than…experimentation. I didn't realize it was that serious."

"It is serious, Keiko. And it isn't just physical. We love each other. Society's norms are the only things keeping us apart." Those norms are evolving. But not quickly enough.

"I'm sorry I looked at your relationship as experimentation. I just never…neither of you ever…" She stops.

"Gave any signs of being gay?" I ask, grinning wryly. "It's okay, you can say it. I won't get offended." I came to terms with it long ago. Long before she was born. The precise word may be different due to changing cultures and languages, but the meaning remains.

"Okay." She takes a breath. "Neither of you ever struck me as the type to be…gay. But I'm probably just stereotyping. Because, by the same token, neither of you ever showed any interest in women, either."

"Can I go now?" I ask.

"Just one more question. How long, Kurama?"

"Which part?"

"What do you mean?" My question has genuinely confused her.

But it did happen in two distinct parts. Well kind of. It started as one, then somewhere in the middle, it changed. "Which part are you asking about? The physical relationship or the emotional one?"

"Both, Kurama."

"The physical…the first time was the night before the Dark Tournament Finals. I didn't know if I would survive. I had been attracted to Hiei since we first met. Well, I went to talk to him, and I lost control of myself. I basically threw myself at him. But he didn't mind, which surprised me more than my own actions." That was one of the weirdest experiences of my life. This man I had wanted for so long, who I was sure was unattainable because I thought he was straight…I kissed him, and instead of cutting me to pieces all he said was _you've wanted this too_. To Keiko I say, "After that, it was sporadic and purely physical."

"I see." She looks so awkward. "When did it become more than just a physical relationship?"

"That one…that I couldn't tell you. All I know is that during the Tournament of Kings we were together one night, and I told him I loved him." It just came out. I wasn't expecting to say it, but once I had, I knew it was true. And Hiei didn't seem surprised. I sigh. "It had to have been building before that, though."

"I know what that's like," she mutters. She looks at me. "Why are you guys so intent on hiding it from us?"

"Keiko…you saw them yesterday. Yusuke and Kuwabara in particular. They think it's repulsive, something to be laughed at. I get enough gay comments as it is."

"But Kurama…if you really are gay, does it matter that people call you that?"

"The insult isn't in the word," I say slowly. "And I don't care if people insult me. Yet I find it insulting that they think the word _gay_ is a good way to verbally attack someone. I don't let it show, but it's offensive that people think being gay is such a negative thing. And Yusuke and Kuwabara aren't exactly the type of people you could call…"

"Mature?"

"That's one way of putting it."

"Kurama…what exactly did Botan see? I gather she doesn't have the understanding of your guys' relationship that I do, now that you've told me."

"She walked into my room when Hiei and I were…kissing."

"That's all?"

"Well…neither of us had a shirt on. And we were in my room with the door shut as opposed to another room in the deserted house, so…" Let her draw her own conclusions from that.

"Oh." A slight pink tinge appears on her cheeks. She turns to leave but faces me again immediately. "Kurama, I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me. And I want you to know that I'm perfectly okay with you and Hiei being together. Just…I don't like PDA, gay or straight. Please keep that in mind."

I smile. "Thanks, Keiko. It's nice to have it all be not such a secret. And thanks for taking it like you did. Just, please, remember your promise."

"I will, Kurama." She turns and walks into the main restaurant. After a moment, I follow her.

* * *

**Well... there you have it. Sorry about the continuing lack of Hiei-Kurama stuff. I think we will return to that next chapter. Yay!**

**In addition... I have the replies to your reviews!**

**jennifer100: yes indeed. What will Hiei do (wwhd?)**

**Alexisminamino: glad you like it. I wasn't sure... As for the more detailed story, I don't think I'm capable of writing a story that doesn't have some sort of actual plot.**

**ardentes: the number of reviews hardly matters to me. As long as I have one person who reviews consistently, that's good enough for me. I will write a story as long as there is one person out there reading it. I do appreciate that you feel so strongly about it though. :) thanks for that and for the review!**


	6. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

_The next night…_

Hiei and I are laying beneath the sheet. His back is to me, and my body is pressed up next to his, taking on the same curves. My left arm is above my head; my right is wrapped around him, where he is holding my hand to him. "I love you, Hiei."

"Mm-hmmm," he mutters. "What time is it?"

I glance over my shoulder. My watch glows dimly across the room. "I don't know," I say. "My watch is too far away to reach."

He pulls my hand to his mouth and brushes his lips along the back of my fingers. "I guess the time isn't important. We're together, alone. That's all that matters." We're silent for several minutes. Then he says my name. "Kurama?"

"Yes?"

"Does it make you happy, being here with me?"

"Of course," I say startled. "Why wouldn't it?"

"I don't know. I just sometimes wonder how someone like me ended up with someone like you." His hand squeezes mine tighter.

That makes me feel terrible. I still haven't told him I told Keiko. "I sometimes feel the same way," I whisper.

I don't know how long we lay there before I tell him, "It's late, Hiei. I need to go home. Shiori will be worrying."

He doesn't release my hand. "No, Kurama. Don't go. Stay here with me, just for tonight."

"I can't, Hiei." My words are half-hearted. I want to stay. "I need to go home."

He rolls over to face me. He reaches up and drags my left hand down, so that he's holding both of my hands in both of his. "Stay," he implores me. "Hell, move out completely. We can move in here together."

"Hiei…" I wish I could tell him how nice that sounds. How I wish such a thing were possible! But I'd have to explain why to Shiori.

"Fine," he says, disappointed. "Just tonight then. You've disappeared for weeks before. She knew you'd be gone then but not where or when you'd be coming back. One night not knowing anything won't kill her."

Suddenly, I realize something. Up till now, he's never given me grief about returning to Shiori. He knows how much I care about her. He doesn't like sharing me with my human mother, but he's been putting me ahead of his own desires. The least I can do for him is… "Okay, Hiei. I'll stay."

"Good." He kisses me once, gently, then rolls over, and we resume our earlier position.

As rarely as we got time alone together before now, it was even more rare for us to actually spend the night together. No, not rare. It simply never happened. This is the first time I've spent an entire night with him. I sigh.

"What?" he asks quietly.

"Just thinking of how nice it is to be here with you, with no time I have to leave. No one we have to worry about walking in on us."

"Me too."

I smile and pull him closer. A few minutes later, I fall asleep, still holding him.

_The next morning…_

I wake up to find Hiei has rolled over to face me. He is watching me. "You're awake," he says.

"You sound disappointed," I note.

"I was enjoying the idea that we slept together. Not just had sex but actually slept together." He smiles the smile no one else ever sees. "And I like watching you sleep. It's like the worry you carry around all the time just vanishes."

"I could go back to sleep," I offer. "Or we could…" I push him onto his back and roll over so that I'm above him, pinning him to the bed.

He laughs and picks his head up off the bed to kiss me. Then he says, "I never told you, but I like your fox form better."

"Too bad for you," I say, grinning down at him. "You'll just have to make do with what you've got because when we're alone, I can't concentrate well enough to hold that form."

He suddenly rolls us over, switching our positions so that he's on top, and I'm the one pinned to the bed. "You'll just have to work on that, won't you?"

I laugh. "I guess I will." I lean upward and kiss him, but when I pull back, his face has fallen. He flops over on the bed next to me, staring up at the ceiling. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"I can't keep doing this, Kurama."

"What?" What? What's he saying.

"I can't keep lying to you. I can't keep pretending any longer."

"Are you leaving me?" My words sound choked.

"No. Never," he replies sharply. "I just…I lied to you. And it's killing me inside. I need to tell you the truth."

Okay. The truth. I don't care if he lied, so long as he's staying. "Okay," I say. But if he tells the truth, I need to tell him the truth.

"You weren't the first person I was with," Hiei admits. "I told you that, but there were several others before you."

Is that all? "Hiei…I knew that was a lie from the beginning. I don't care. We've both had other lovers. But none of that matters now. Our pasts don't matter."

He nods. "Well…the more important part is that I've been with a couple of people since that night at the Dark Tournament. You are the only one of any of them who I have been with more than once. You are the only one I haven't killed afterward. I just…I couldn't keep hiding from you that there were other men in between the nights I spent with you."

My breathing accelerates. He's been doing this with other people? No. No… He notices my state and looks at me. "I'm so sorry, Kurama. If it helps any, I stopped messing around with other people when I realized we loved each other."

"Which was when?" I ask coldly. I hate to admit even to myself the jealousy I feel.

"The night we spent together just after the fight with Sensui."

My breathing calms. It was only physical up till then, and we both knew it. He had every right to turn to someone else if I wasn't available. For me it was only physical for a while after that. "You figured out we loved each other long before I did," I whisper. "Thank you for being honest with me."

"I couldn't hide it from you any longer. Even though I knew I didn't do anything wrong…I felt like I was doing something wrong by not telling you."

I sigh. "There's something I need to tell you." I stop. This isn't going to be fun. "Please don't get mad."

"What is it, Kurama?"

"I told Keiko about us."

His voice is hard. "Why?"

"She had already figured out there is something between us. She swore not to tell. And I think Keiko is less likely to tell somebody what she knows than she is to ask somebody about what she suspects. If I hadn't told her, she might have asked someone else, making them suspicious as well. I'm sorry, Hiei. I should have talked to you about it first or at least told you sooner. I was afraid you'd be mad."

He won't look at me. He is mad. He gets up and dresses quickly. Still refusing to look at me, he walks out of the room. "Hiei," I call. "I know you're mad, but the apartment's spare key is on the counter. Please take it." He doesn't respond, but through the bedroom door I see him slip the key into his pocket on his way out.

* * *

**Welllllll...there's that chapter. Hope y'all enjoyed it as much as the others. On to the reviews...**

**jennifer100: Hope this chapter answers your last questions. :)**

**Alexisminamino: I'm glad that you liked him telling Keiko. I wasn't sure... Anyway my favorite part of your review was-never mind. You'll find out soon enough.**

**Kurama's Silver Rose: Here's an update for you! Glad you enjoy it so much.**

**ardentes: sorry that the chapters seem short. I just kind of end the chapters where they seem to want to end. I could either end them like this... or this story would be a really-super-duper-long oneshot. And if chapters are too long...they get hard to read. What was I talking about again? Whatever. Thanks for the review. Here's your update!**


	7. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

_Two weeks later…_

I slowly lock the apartment. I come every night to see if he's ready to speak to me again. And every night he's not here. I glance at my watch. It's only five. That's not too late to…but that's what started it all. What would Hiei do if he found out I'd talked to Keiko again? But…I need to talk to someone. Keiko's the only one who knows everything.

I walk to her parents diner. I step inside and get her attention. "Hey, Kurama. Haven't seen you in a while." She looks at me a moment. "What's wrong?"

"I need some advice. Can we take a walk?"

"Sure," she says. "Just give me ten seconds." She disappears a moment. When she comes back she says, "Sorry. I had to tell my mom I was taking my break now. What did you want to talk about?"

We walk outside. After about a block she asks again, "What's wrong, Kurama? You look sad." She hesitates before adding, "Did something happen between you and Hiei."

I sigh. "Yes."

"What happened?"

"I started renting a small apartment. We spent an entire night together for the first time. In the morning, he told me something he felt guilty about keeping from me. And I told him that I told you."

"But you're not mad at him for whatever he did?" she asks.

"No." I shake my head. "The first part I already knew about. The second part…I was hurt until he explained the situation to me. But by telling you…I betrayed him, Keiko, and now I don't know what to do."

"Just give him time to cool off," she suggests.

"I haven't seen him in two weeks."

"Oh, Kurama. I'm so sorry. I don't know what to tell you. I'm not really someone you should ask for advice. I hardly know how to handle my own relationship. I haven't the slightest clue what the dynamics between you and Hiei are. I don't know what to tell you. I'm sorry," she repeats finally.

"Well, thanks for listening, I guess." I shrug and walk away. "I might see you sometime."

"Bye, Kurama." She sounds sad.

_The next day…_

I unlock the apartment and about have a heart attack. Hiei is waiting for me in the kitchenette.

"Hiei!" I exclaim.

"Hey." When I don's say anything, he sits down on the floor, leaning up against the wall. "I've been thinking about the things we said. And I realized that I still haven't told you the whole truth." I sit down next to him as he goes on, "I said you weren't the first, which was true." He looks at me. "But I forgot to mention the fact that you _are_ the first I ever felt anything real for. I missed you."

"I missed you too. I came here everyday."

"I know. I saw you. But Kurama…another thing I realized…"

"What?"

"Until now, I haven't understood the importance of honesty. But…now I see that if someone has deceived you, it hurts when they tell you the truth. I can only imagine that it would hurt more if you discovered it accidentally. Perhaps telling the truth from the start is best…we've been honest with each other, Kurama, but not with the other people we care about."

"You want to tell everyone?" I ask shocked.

Hiei looks at me. "Did the two weeks without me unhinge you? You know there are only two people I care about, Kurama."

I stare at him before saying, "Me and Yukina."

He nods. "And Shiori and I are the only two you love." After a silence, he says, "You need to tell Shiori what you are, and I need…" He takes a deep breath. "I need to tell Yukina what I am."

Is he kidding? When he doesn't add anything, I nod slowly. "Okay. Let's go."

We go to Shiori's house, and on the way, Hiei says, "You do know I didn't mean you should tell Shiori you're gay? You know I meant the other thing?"

"Yes."

"And you're okay with that?" He sounds as though he's not sure if he should believe me.

"I always knew I'd have to do it someday. I've just been postponing it for as long as I can," I explain quietly. He nods as we walk through the door. "Mom," I call out.

"The kitchen, Shuichi," I hear.

We walk to the kitchen, where she is making cookies. "Hey, Mom," I say. "This is Hiei." He's been here several times, but she's never been home. For obvious reasons.

"Hello," she says. "Did you need something, Shuichi?"

"More…I need to tell you something."

It's probably because of my tone, but she looks worried. She washes her hands and faces me, giving me all of her attention. "What is it, Shuichi?"

"For the last eighteen years…" I start. I try again, "I'm not really exactly your son."

"What?" she asks. Her tone and face are totally bewildered. "How could you say something like that?"

"I was—am—was a fox demon," I say slowly, struggling for words. How much is this going to hurt her? "I was gravely wounded and fled as a soul."

She looks even more worried when I say that, as though she thinks I've gone crazy. And I suppose that's understandable the way I've been acting lately. The last two weeks, while Hiei was gone, I was a bit…depressed. Who knows what she's thinking of me right now. "Shuichi…why are you telling me such things?" She sounds as though she's going to cry.

"Because today I realized how important honesty is. As a soul, I possessed the soulless embryo that was later born as Shuichi. I don't pretend to know why it didn't yet have a soul of its own. Perhaps without my soul he would have been stillborn, perhaps he was simply late receiving a soul. At any rate, I came into possession of this body."

"Shuichi…"

"I intended to leave after ten years…but by then, I had grown to love you. Despite what I said earlier, I do think of you as my mother." It hurt to tell her that. "If you want me to, I can show you my true form. If you don't want that, I won't."

"No, just…if you were alive before you entered that body…does that mean you have a different name?"

I nod. "My name is Kurama. But I want you to keep calling me Shuichi. I didn't tell you before because I didn't want to hurt you. But…finding the truth on accident is often more painful than learning it on purpose."

"Thank you for telling me…" she whispers. She doesn't sound thankful.

I hug her. She is relatively unresponsive. "I love you, Mom. Please believe that."

"I do. I love you too, Shuichi."

After about ten minutes, we get Shiori calmed down and head over to Kuwabara's house, where Yukina is still staying.

When we get there, she is eating lunch with Kuwabara. Hiei groans. But he walks in and says, "Yukina. I'm your brother."

Kuwabara chokes on his ramen, and Yukina freezes. "What?" she asks.

"I'm your brother."

Her eyes flicker over his face, searching for a trick. Finally, "Why didn't you tell me?"

He stares at her a moment. "I got my Jagan to find you. One of the conditions for the implantation was that I not tell you. Later, though, the surgeon…changed his mind."

"Why didn't you tell me then?"

"By then I'd seen what a good, kind person you are. The kind of person I am not."

"That's not a reason, Hiei," she says quietly.

"I'm not sure…maybe I didn't want to hurt you by telling you your brother is a murderer and a thief. Maybe I didn't want to be compared to you because I could never hope to be the kind of person you are."

There is a long silence, most of which Kuwabara spends gaping at Hiei. Finally Yukina smiles. "Thank you for finally telling me."

"Hn," is Hiei's reply.

As we step out the door, we hear Kuwabara say loudly, "Your brother…shorty…no, that can't be…it's Hiei?"

The door shuts, and we stand there a moment. "What now?" I ask.

* * *

**I'm not quite sure where this chapter came from...**  
**I don't get it. Whatever. That's what you get, the next chapter will (probably) get the story back on track.**  
**Y'all know who I own (that is, no one).**

**Reviews...**

**jennifer100: there you go. Hiei is no longer mad.**

**ardentes: chapter length: I have given up trying to make the chapter lengths consistent. end of story. I'm one of those authors whose first chapter will be 4,000 words, and the next chapter will be 600. I just end it wherever I feel like ending it. And you didn't sound overly negative, I promise. If you did, I wouldn't have replied. I have this tendency to ignore reviews that are negative (unless you count constructive criticism as negative). Anyway, I'm really glad you're still liking the story.**

**Alexisminamino: Question: who ever said Hiei was rational?**


	8. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

_Six weeks later…_

"Hiei…I've been thinking about what you said," I say as we eat takeout in the middle of the living room floor of the apartment.

"What did I say?" he asks, still paying more attention to his food than to me.

"About me moving out of Shiori's house and in here with you. Do you still want to?" I ask tentatively.

He looks up with a slight amount of shock on his face. When he sees I'm not kidding, he smiles. "I've been waiting for you to ask."

"Just one thing, Hiei…"

"What?"

"I won't tell her outright, but if she asks, I'm not going to lie."

He stares at me. Eventually he says, "If that's what it takes for us to be together, so be it."

I lean forward, kiss him once and jump up. "I'll go tell her."

"I'll be waiting."

I walk inside. "Mom," I call. "I need to talk to you." She comes out to meet me. It's strange how little has changed between us now that she knows.

"What do you need?" she asks.

"I've decided I need to move out. I'm an adult, and I have a steady job. It's time to make that change. I've already found a place. It's small and cheap, but it's clean."

"Why so sudden?" she asks surprised.

"I've been thinking about it for a while now, I just hadn't mentioned it."

She looks at me for a long time before saying, "You're an adult; I suppose that's your decision." There is resignation mixed with something close to disapproval in her voice. But why disapproval? "I am guessing based on your face that by _moving out_ you mean you're moving in with someone else." Oh. That's why.

But I want to be honest. "Yes, Mom."

"Who is she?"

I was hoping she wouldn't ask that. I bite my lip. "It…isn't a girl," I say, biting my lip harder. "Mom, I'm…I'm gay."

"Oh," she says in surprise. "I didn't see that one coming." She pauses, but before I can say anything she adds, "Wait. Yes I did."

What? "What?" I ask. She saw this coming?

She sighs. "I wasn't expecting you to say that. To tell the truth, I've suspected it for some time. I just didn't expect you to actually tell me."

"Oh. What made you think…?" This is not what I thought she would say at all.

"It's not normal for a boy your age to show no interest in girls. You've never shown an interest in girls, ever. And while you're really older than eighteen…" She pauses, as she does every time one of us mentions Kurama. "The body you're in is eighteen. You still have the same hormones and physical desires. Logically…being gay is one of the only things that can account for your complete disinterest in women." She sighs. "If that's what makes you happy, Shuichi."

I hug her. "Thanks, Mom." I wasn't expecting her to be so okay with this. This is wonderful.

"Just one thing, Shuichi. Who is _he_?" She repeats her earlier question with a slightly apologetic emphasis on the changed pronoun.

"Hiei," I say.

She nods. "We'll start moving your things out tomorrow, okay?"

I nod. "Thank you for understanding."

She smiles at me. "That's my job, Shuichi."

I hug her again, and then I hear a soft sort of chuckle. "What?" I ask.

"I have a gay fox demon for a son."

I'm hurt a bit. "Why is that funny?"

"Because I can't imagine any son better than you, Shuichi."

* * *

Well. What fun, right? Yeah... If you don't like how this story is playing out, sorry. I have the whole story written, I am just posting it whenever I get the opportunity. I kind of wrote the whole thing in three days, so it's not the best thing I've ever written...whatever.

jennifer100: I'm glad that made somebody happy. Half of this story, I really don't know how people will react. Thanks for reviewing.

GoodLuckMotherFuckers: Ummm actually, no. Sorry. Of course, that would have made everything WAY more interesting...

Jumpingbeans480: No, I did not know that. Thanks for informing me. Authors tend to write what they know, and many of the people in my area aren't accepting like the should be. Well, Yusuke and Kuwabara will continue to act like that, so I hope you can just go with it and keep in mind the fact that I wasn't aware. Thanks for the review!

Alexisminamino: Yep, honesty is the best policy...but to hear Hiei say that? I probably wouldn't have predicted that one when I started this story...


	9. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

Just before I leave, Shiori asks, "Is it okay if I tell your brother and step-father?"

I nod. "Just don't tell Yusuke or any of them if they drop by."

"Okay. You should bring Hiei over for dinner sometime."

I nod. "Is tomorrow okay?"

"After we move all your things? That sounds fine."

"Bye, Mom. I'll see you later."

"Okay. Be careful."

Why does all this make me so happy? Is the blessing of a human woman really that important to me?

"I take it she's okay with you moving out?" Hiei asks when I open the door.

"She's going to help me move tomorrow." Then I add, "And since she asked, I told her it was you I'm moving in with. And she was okay with it."

"Does she realize we're not just roommates?"

"Yes."

"And she's okay with it?"

"Somehow…yes. She mentioned that moving was my decision. And I think she had already accepted that I was probably gay."

"What do you mean?"

"She asked who the girl I was moving in with was. When I told her it wasn't a girl…when I told her I was gay…she was more surprised _that_ I was telling her than she was by _what_ I was telling."

"So this is really going to happen…" His voice sounds awed.

"Yes," I say. I sigh happily. "Today has been a good day."

After a few minutes, Hiei says, "Kurama?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to make it even better?"

I look up at him. "Do you really need to ask?"

_That evening…_

We lay together in the bed. "Hiei," I say slowly. "You know what you said about honesty?"

"Yes." He kisses me. "What about it?"

"I want to tell Yusuke. He's my friend." He freezes. I kiss him. "Not about us, I promise. Just that I'm gay. We can see where things go from there."

He kisses me back. "Okay. If that's what you want. But I'm not going to tell him."

"I know. But you don't consider him a friend. I do. I want to be honest with him."

"I understand." He rolls over on top of me. "Now…back to what we were doing before…"

I laugh. "Are you sure you can handle more?"

He grins deviously. "Are you sure you can?"

_The next evening…_

"Thanks for helping me move, you guys," I say as we head to Shiori's.

"No problem," my step-father says, glancing warily at Hiei. I get the feeling that learning I like guys bothers him more than it bothers Shiori. Not that I really care what he thinks.

We get to the house, and a very awkward meal commences. Just as we're finishing, Botan walks in. Shiori has made it very clear—perhaps too clear—that my friends are always welcome, and they can just walk on in. Which was what started this chain of events, for good or for bad. She catches sight of me sitting next to Hiei, having dinner with my parents, and her face turns pink. She looks at a loss for words.

"Did you need something, Botan?" I ask.

"Just…we're getting together at the temple tomorrow. We wanted you guys to come."

I nod. "Okay. But the moment someone tries to drag me into a game of Truth or Dare, I'm leaving."

"I second that," Hiei mutters.

Botan smiles. "Okay. I'll make sure the others know."

_The next afternoon…_

Okay. Now's as good a time as any. They're all here. I'll only have to say it once. "Yusuke, Kuwabara, everybody…" I say loudly. The joking arguments cease. "I need to tell you something."

"Okay, shoot," Yusuke says. Somehow I doubt his good mood is going to last.

It's Yusuke's and Kuwabara's reactions I'm most worried about. I don't think the girls will have much of a problem with it. So I address those two. "What would you do if I told you I was gay?"

There is silence. Then Yusuke says, "I'd chuck something at you and tell you to say whatever you needed to tell us."

That's what I thought. They aren't going to be able to accept it. When I don't say anything else, Kuwabara asks, "Are you going to tell us or not?" Are they really that dense?

When I don't answer, Keiko saves me. Speaking Yusuke and Kuwabara, she says, "You two are idiots. That's what he's trying to tell you. But you're too close-minded and homophobic for him to feel comfortable telling you. He's afraid you won't like him for it."

Yusuke stares at her a moment. "No," he says. "I don't like it. It's wrong. It's unnatural."

I stand up in anger. "There are so many people like you out there, Yusuke," I snap at him. "You insist we're doing something unnatural just to get attention. If that were the case, why would anyone choose that? People hate people like me for no reason other than the fact that we aren't heterosexual. People fear us because they don't understand. Why would anyone _choose_ to be hated and feared? Why would anyone risk losing their friends just to get attention? And if we were doing it for attention, why would so many of us try to hide it?"

After a silence, Kuwabara says, "You're not trying to hide it."

"Because I'm sick of lying to you guys, damn it." No one says anything for a long time. Finally, I break the silence. "See? This is what I was afraid of. You guys think badly of me for telling you the truth. I'm not any different. Nothing's changed. I've always been attracted to men. Always. As Kurama and now as Shuichi. It's part of who I am. It's not something I am able—or even want—to change. If you guys can't accept that…well, I guess I'll just leave. There's no point in staying someplace where you're not welcome."

I walk toward the door, and Keiko rushes to stop me. "Kurama…don't leave. Just because those two idiots don't like it doesn't mean you're not welcome."

"Keiko…if I can't be myself, I can't stay here. I told Shiori the truth about everything, for god's sake. Everything. She accepted all of it. If you guys can't even accept part of what she accepted, I can't come back."

* * *

**Firstly, I would like to say that after this chapter...I kind of feel like this story goes downhill in quality. I just thought I should warn you. I'll still post it, but I started this story with no intention of posting it. It was simply a way to try and get around my writer's block on the three stories I was already working on (it worked BTW). On to the reviews.**

**Alexisminamino: Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.**

**jennifer100: Glad you liked Kurama telling his mother.**

**GoodLuckMotherFuckers: Well, yeah. This route doesn't really have much. This story really isn't that long. Sorry. :(**

**ardentes: I don't remember if it's this story, but I think it is. If it is, he mentions that he always knew he'd have to tell her someday. If it isn't this story...I don't know what I'm talking about, which is also entirely possible.**

**Jumpingbeans480: It would be nice to have an understanding mother like Shiori. Thanks for the stats. That's really interesting; I didn't know any of that. Well, at any rate, I find those stats will better any future Hiei-Kurama stories.**


	10. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9_

I open the door and walk out. No one tries to stop me. Well, at least now I know. I head down the mountain, and soon Hiei joins me. "I don't think badly of you, Kurama."

"I know." I take his hand. "Thank god for that."

He suddenly stops. Since I am holding his hand, I am forced to stop as well. I face him, and he takes my other hand. "Let's go back," he says.

"Why?" I don't want to go back. It hurts to lose friends because they don't like what you are.

"When I left, Keiko was shouting at Yusuke." He shakes his head. "I thought I'd heard her shout before, but that evidently wasn't full volume. Shizuru had a few choice words to say also."

"But why go back?"

"They were starting to look a bit guilty about how they treated you. But nowhere guilty enough to come after you."

"I don't want to go back, Hiei. I told them something important about myself, and they said it was wrong, unnatural."

"Kurama, you need to go back. They're your friends. You can't have it end this way. You'll always regret it. And then I'll have to put up with it." The last part is tacked on at the end, almost an afterthought to make it sound like he's doing this for himself. But I know better.

I lean forward and kiss him. "Okay. You're right."

We turn and walk back. He doesn't release my hand until we're in sight of the temple.

When we walk back in, they all look shocked. Keiko runs up and hugs me. "Thank goodness," she says. "I didn't know if you were ever coming back. I thought you might be gone forever."

Yusuke and Kuwabara look awkward, somewhere between ashamed and defiant. After a long silence, Kuwabara mutters, "Sorry, Kurama."

Yusuke nods. "Just one question…have you ever thought…us?"

"Do you really want to know?" Do I even know the answer to that question? He doesn't respond in the negative, so I say, very slowly, "Kuwabara…I was never attracted to you." He looks relieved. "Yusuke…I've…appreciated your looks but never seriously contemplated anything. I know you're straight, and you're in love with Keiko on top of that." Yusuke looks slightly horrified.

Then Kuwabara asks, "Does this mean the person Botan walked in on you with was actually a guy?"

"Ummm…yes." I would have thought that was obvious.

"Who was it, Kurama?" Yusuke asks.

"Not your business."

"I just want to make sure I don't try to set him up with anyone," Yusuke says innocently.

Keiko punches him in the arm. "Not funny, Yusuke!"

"Sorry," he says, rubbing the place she punched him. "I'm just not used to the idea yet. So Kurama, who was it?"

"He's asked me not to tell anyone." I can barely keep from looking at Hiei.

But then Hiei says, "Just tell them, Kurama."

"You sure he'll be okay with it?" I ask. Is he being serious?

Before he can reply, Yusuke says, "You already knew about this? Why didn't you tell?"

"I didn't exactly ask him to tell me." How true. Neither of us knew I was going to start kissing him like I did that night. "And, unlike some people, when I learn a secret, I can keep it."

His pointed reference to Yukina and Yusuke's inability to keep the relationship a secret shuts Yusuke up. I look at him. "Are you sure he won't mind?"

"He'll be fine with it. If any of them give him a hard time, he can just come up here and kill them all. You know he's not above doing that."

Really? Is he serious? Or is he just testing me to see how well I will keep the secret? When I still hesitate, he says, "Oh, screw it." He stands, walks over to me, sits down and kisses me. When he pulls away, he whispers, "I _told_ you he'd be okay with it."

"I believe you, Hiei," I say, looking into his eyes. "But I thought I told you not to kiss me not for me ever again."

"This was for you. You wanted to be honest with them. I don't care what they think. If they have a problem with it, they can go—"

I stop him from saying anything else, kissing him. "Thank you, Hiei."

All around us is a silence in which you could have heard a pin drop.

* * *

Hahahaha. I don't know if you guys liked this chapter, but it was a lot of fun to write!  
On to reviews!

jennifer100: I am happy you enjoyed Kurama's reaction.

Alexisminamino: I am not sure why Yusuke reacted so strongly. But I think I gave him ample punishment in this chapter. :)

ardentes: glad you think I know what I'm talking about. That makes one of us. I am happy to see you enjoyed their reactions.

Moogle23: Actually, I don't remember what I wrote their reactions to be. I guess we'll both see when I next update.


	11. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

My eyes don't leave Hiei's face until there is a sloshing noise, a clunk and a splash as Shizuru's beer hits the floor. Everyone looks at her. She shakes her head quickly, as though to get water out of her hair. "Okay," she says. "I lied. Things can be more shocking than Hiei kissing Kurama in a game of Truth or Dare."

"Like Hiei kissing Kurama of his own accord?" Yusuke mutters.

"That would definitely be one," Kuwabara mutters back.

No one says anything for a few moments. Then Yusuke asks, "Keiko…why don't you look as surprised as the rest of us?"

"I already knew."

"What?"

"I already knew," Keiko repeats. "If you paid even a modicum of attention to what's going on around you, you would have noticed that Botan was embarrassed by Kurama _and_ Hiei. You also would have noticed that she never once said it was a girl. It doesn't take genius to figure it out."

"But…but…" Kuwabara stutters. "When did this happen? How long have you guys been hiding this from us?"

Before I can reply, Keiko answers, "_That_ I know you guys don't want to know."

Yusuke's eyes widen. "God, Keiko. How much do you know about this? And how?"

"When I realized there was something going on between them, I confronted Kurama. He told me everything."

Hiei looks at me. "Everything? You told her everything?"

I grin. "Not everything. Hardly more than a timeline. No details."

He grins back at me. He was worried I'd told her everything. Not a chance. I think going into any kind of detail would be more than even Keiko could handle. "Good," he says.

"I thought we could just leave it all to their imaginations," I reply. He nods.

"Whoa," Yusuke shouts. "Too much information. Never say anything like that ever again. Mental image _not_ needed."

"God, Yusuke," Kuwabara says, wincing. "Why'd you have to say that?"

"Payback for earlier," I mutter.

They freeze. Then Yusuke says, "I guess we deserved that."

"You think?" Shizuru mutters, mopping up the last of the beer.

"Just one thing, you two," Keiko addresses me and Hiei. "Kurama, you remember what I said about PDA? That doesn't change just because everyone else knows. Hold hands, sit up against each other if you must, whatever. But please. Nothing more than that. No kissing. Keep your shirts on."

"Mental image," Yusuke moans. "I think I have been scarred for life."

"Sure thing, Keiko," I say, ignoring Yusuke.

Hiei adds, "So long as you follow the same rules with Yusuke." At Hiei's devilish grin, Keiko blushes fuchsia.

"Hey, Botan," Shizuru says. "There's this guy I know. I think I could set you up."

"What?" Botan asked, startled. What is Shizuru getting at?

She lights a cigarette. "Now that we're being open about our relationships, I'm thinking…date night." When everyone just stares at her, she shrugs. "I don't know. I thought everyone having a date and going out together might be fun." Then she adds to Botan, "Of course, if you don't want a guy, I could arrange that, too." What's strange, is that it's a completely innocent suggestion. She isn't making fun of us. For Shizuru, the fact that Hiei and I are a couple changes nothing.

I can't help myself; I burst out laughing. After a few seconds, the others join me. Hiei even gives a small chuckle. After I gain control of myself, I say, "Sounds like fun, Shizuru."

Then Yukina asks, "I'm confused. Keiko and Yusuke would be going together, and Kurama and Hiei. Then Shizuru says she's setting Botan up with someone, and I'm guessing she and Atsuko both have boyfriends. But who is Kuwabara going with?"

It is unbelievable how oblivious she is. Of course, it's entirely possible that she does notice. But she knows that, as an Ice Maiden, it would be inadvisable for her to be with Kuwabara. Shizuru sighs. "He's going with you, Yukina."

"Oh."

_Two days later…_

We meet at the restaurant. Shizuru reserved us a table for twelve. It turns out Shizuru's friend is a demon. I can't really say I'm surprised. The guy Shizuru brings as her date actually looks more uncomfortable than anyone else. And Atsuko's date looks just as oblivious as she is.

Shizuru looks at her date. Then she says to the rest of us, "He has a slight sixth sense. I forgot to mention that half the people we were having dinner with are demons."

"Yeah," he mutters. "Thanks for the warning. I didn't know there were going to be any demons other than Gorou here…"

"Sorry," she laughs. "I forget not everyone's sixth sense is as attuned to the otherworldly as mine." Once again she faces us. "This is Yuuto, and Botan's date is Gorou." To her date and other friend she says, "Keiko, human. Yusuke, long story. Yukina, demon. Kazu, you know. Kurama, demon. Hiei, demon. Atsuko, human. Atsuko, who's your date?"

"Taichi."

"Okay, that's Taichi, and he's human. And then we have Botan, our own personal ferry girl."

"Ferry girl?" Yuuto asks.

"Grim reaper," Yusuke provides.

"Oh god."

"You're table is ready," the host says.

We get to the table and order. Soon the loud joking begins. It still feels odd to be on a date with Hiei, even in a group. Perhaps more so because we're in a group. We've never gone out as a couple before. It's nice, in a weirdly satisfying way. I glance at Hiei. He smiles, but it looks almost shy. He feels the same way.

As though on the same train of thought, Gorou suddenly asks, "I was under the impression this was a group dating thing. Why're there two more guys than girls here?"

Shizuru snorts. "Think about it for three seconds, you moron."

He pauses then raises his eyebrows. "You're kidding me."

"Nope," she replies taking a drink of beer.

"Who?" he asks. How is that not obvious?

"Figure it out," Shizuru says. I guess theirs is a very push-and-pull, argumentative friendship.

He looks around the table. "There's four guys here I know it's _not_. Yuuto, Kazu, Taichi and myself." He looks at me, Hiei and Yusuke. "But the three of you…"

"What?" Yusuke shouts, standing up. All the tables around us go silent as the people turn to stare at Yusuke. He doesn't pay them any mind. Still rather loudly, he says, "Why would you think it might be me?"

Shizuru looks as though she's trying not to laugh. Keiko's not even trying to restrain her amusement. Gorou looks calmly at Yusuke, "I didn't mean anything by it. Just you three are all…famous. Finding that two of you are…ah…that one I wasn't expecting."

"Yusuke, sit down," Keiko says, still laughing at him. I take Hiei's hand underneath the table, and he squeezes mine gently.

* * *

**Wellllll... All I have to say about this chapter is that I warned you that this story's quality was going to decline. But now that I think about it, I think this is the only chapter that REALLY sucks. The last one and the epilogue are decent enough. Reviews, shall we?**

**Alexisminamino: I'm happy to see you enjoyed it. To me it seemed a bit...drastic. Whatever. And I love Hiei too.**

**ardentes: I'm glad to see you enjoyed the last chapter. It was fun to write, but Hiei seemed a bit OOC.**

**Bye now!  
ForbiddenChildLover64**


	12. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11_

_An hour and a half later…_

We sit down in a long row at the movie theatre. Hiei and I are on the end. Yusuke is sitting next to me. As the opening credits start, Yusuke turns to look at us. "If I look over and see you guys making out, I am going to throw up then dump my soda all over you."

As the opening music gets louder, Hiei leans over and whispers to me, "What do you say to being all over each other when the lights come back on?"

I smile. "Let's." I place my arm on the arm rest, palm up. He takes my hand lacing his fingers into mine.

_One hundred and sixteen minutes later…_

As the credits start, Hiei flips up the arm rest and draws me closer. He starts kissing me. Once I start kissing him back, it's only a second or two before it stops being an act. He tongue forces my mouth open, and I move closer to him. As little space as possible between us, that's all I'm asking.

I hardly register the lights come on, and neither of us cares that everyone can see us.

I don't know how long we sit in the seats, lips pressed together, holding each other. Not very long, I think. And the only thing that stops us is the liquid and chunks of ice that hit us as Yusuke makes good at least part of his promise.

Hiei and I pull away from each other. Yusuke didn't have enough soda left to soak us, but we still get wet enough that we'll be sticky later. "You…ugh…no!" Yusuke says loudly.

"Kurama…" Keiko says. "Why? I thought…"

"Never again, Keiko," I promise. "That had no purpose beyond ticking Yusuke off."

"Oh." She grins. "I guess it's okay then."

"Hey!" Yusuke shouts.

_Thirty minutes later…_

Hiei and I get back home—that sounds so nice, saying _home_ and _Hiei_ in the same sentence. I smile at him. "I need a shower. Then we can pick up where we were when Yusuke threw soda on us. As long as you want to."

He grins. The way he is looking at me is totally…ugh. I _want_ him. Right now. But I feel disgusting. "Although…" he says. "I have the sugar water all over me, too. It's not like it would make much of a difference."

It wouldn't get him stickier maybe, but I'd still feel gross. "It's just…I don't like being sticky."

"Okay. I'll be waiting."

I grab a towel and go into the bathroom. No point grabbing any clothes. There's no reason to put them on when Hiei is just going to rip them right back off. Which at this point…I have no doubt about that happening tonight. It's killing me to wait this long.

I haven't been in the shower for a full minute when the door opens and closes. There is a hardly audible thump as something hits the floor. Then Hiei pulls back the shower curtain and steps in with me.

"Why do you look surprised?" he asks.

"I wasn't expecting…" He cuts me off by pulling my face toward him so he can kiss me.

"Why not?" he asks as water rains down around us. "I was lonely, just waiting for you. And I thought, you don't want to be covered in that vile sugar water. But what's the point of you taking a shower if I don't take one too?"

"Mmmm," I moan as he kisses me harder. He draws away for a breath of air, and I say, "You make a good point."

"Of course I do."

He kisses me again, and I kiss back. "So arrogant," I murmur in his ear, water running off my lips.

"Does it turn you on?" he asks before kissing along my jaw from my ear down to my chin.

"Most definitely," I reply pulling him closer. "That self-assuredness is one of the reasons I fell in love with you."

"Ohhhh," he says as I kiss him again and again. "Do you know why I fell in love with you?"

"No." I can't see because of the water and my hair. But I don't need my eyes. My lips already know every contour of his face; my hands already have the curves of all his hardened muscles memorized.

"I love how you just sit back and watch everything. Your eyes miss nothing and flash with a strange intensity that is incredibly hot."

"Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?" I question, taking a step back and pulling him with me. Still holding him with my left arm, I reach down and turn off the water with my right.

The sudden lack of hot water makes us both shiver. We instinctively draw closer to each other, which I didn't know was possible. "It's cold, Kurama," Hiei states. "The bed is warm."

"No, it's not," I contradict him. "It's the same temperature as the rest of the apartment."

"Then let's go make it warm," he whispers, dragging me out of the bathroom.

"You don't need to ask me twice." I kiss him. "I was attracted to you that first time we met, when you jumped up and went after Eight-Hands even though you weren't fully healed."

"Ha," he says, grinning. "I win. I started wanting you the moment your plant sliced into my gut."

I push him into our room. "How does that mean you win?"

"I saw you first." Our wet bodies rub together as we try to get closer than I think is physically possible.

"Like that matters. I kissed you first."

We fall onto the bed and just lay there, holding each other, for a moment. "I guess it's a tie then," he finally says, kissing my cheek.

I concentrate for a moment, and I force myself into fox form. "That," he says kissing my ears, "is totally hot."

I kiss him back once and lose my focus. "I tried," I murmur.

"Which means what?" he asks, pressing his lips to my neck.

"No idea. All I know is that until now, I always thought only one person could win, and everyone else lost. But I'm fairly certain we both won this one."

"Damn straight," he murmurs. "I love you, Kurama. Never forget that."

"I love you too," I reply rolling over on top of him.

We lapse into silence. No more words are necessary. And our mouths and tongues are far too busy elsewhere for speaking to even be possible.

* * *

**Well, there's that. Hope you enjoyed it. All that's left is the epilogue.**

**GoodLuckMotherFuckers: What is with Keiko and the weird phobia? Well, first off, I wouldn't call it a phobia. Second, that's probably because I find PDA irritating because people have a tendency to get in everyone else's way. I just find it annoying is all, which is probably coming out in the story. Sorry about that.**

**ardentes: yes, I feel like this story is at an end. As I said, only the epilogue remains. As for writing another Hiei/Kurama pairing, I need to finish my other two stories first (yes, I'm stupid and working on three stories at once...)**

**Alexisminamino: yeah...I really didn't put much thought into him. Sorry for the lack of detail in that area, and you're right; Kurama and Hiei probably would have shown more interest. That chapter was honestly nothing more than filler leading up to this chapter and the epilogue (probably explaining why I do not like it much).**

**See ya later!**  
**ForbiddenChildLover64**


	13. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

Hiei is still asleep when I wake up. I watch him for several minutes. His breathing is slow and even. I understand what he meant, about all the worry disappearing.

After a few minutes, I crawl out of bed and grab a pair of boxers out of the bureau. I pull on the flannel pants I've been wearing to bed on nights Hiei and I haven't gotten so carried away.

I walk out to the kitchen and start brewing some tea. As I do, I stare out the window over the parking lot. It's so strange…all this happened so fast. And to think…

I hear Hiei's quiet footsteps behind me. I don't turn around. He walks up so that he's right next to me, wraps his arms around my waist and rests his head against my back. "Is something wrong, Kurama?"

"No…no, nothing's wrong."

"Then what is it?"

I turn around to face him. He adjusts his arms so his hands are behind my neck. I put my hands around his waist and look down at him. "I was just thinking of how quickly all of this happened. Only two months ago we were snatching what small amounts of time we could, and now we're living together."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"About as far from a bad thing as you can get. Do you remember what you asked just after Botan left that day?"

"No."

"You asked if things could get any worse, and I told you that at least we had each other."

"Mmmm." He nods and rests his head against my chest. We hold each other for several minutes before he asks, "Kurama?"

"Yes?"

"Could this get any better?"

"I couldn't tell you." I smile. "All that matters is that we'll find out together."

* * *

**And there we have the end of the story. How nice. Final time for reviews. I'll answer any reviews to this chapter (assuming I get any) privately. Also, if you reviewed, and I don't reply here, it's because my email is all screwed up right now. Sorry.**

**Alexisminamino: I agree he deserves it. And I don't get an opportunity to mess with his head & otherwise annoy the crap out of him in very many of my stories, so I take what chances I can get.**

**ardentes: I am happy to hear you liked the last chapter. Hope you enjoyed the epilogue as well!**

**Now...This chapter is dedicated to all of you who added this story to your story alert/story favorites and those of you who added me to your author alert/favorite author.**

**THE STORY AS A WHOLE is dedicated to the following: Alexisminamino, ardentes, GoodLuckMotherFuckers, jennifer100, Moogle23, Jumpingbeans480, Amaterasu's Black Phonix, and sutio. If you reviewed and your name is not on this list it means one of two things: either you did not review until after I posted this, or I missed your name on the list. At any rate, this story is dedicated to you as well.**

**Thanks so much for reading and for all the support!**  
**Bye-bye for now!**  
**ForbiddenChildLover64**


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